RS Mentoring Scheme continues for our Year 12 and 13 students

The RS Mentoring Scheme is well underway with our students having been introduced to their mentors, who will give them personalised advice and guidance, to help them fulfil their potential.

The scheme, which has been running for several years, pairs business mentors from RS Components, up with students who have a specific interest in their area of operation, including IT, accountancy and marketing.

The students have already had a tour of RS Components and have been matched up with mentors. Now it is up to them to continue the momentum, which was started by Business Studies teacher Alex Allan.

She said: ‘The RS Mentoring Scheme opens doors for students and gives them opportunities. It is for Sixth Formers who want to be paired up with professionals. The business mentor can support them with coursework, give them interview experience and be a critical friend.

‘In part one of the scheme we introduced them, in part two, we paired them up so the idea is that now they are free to take the interaction at a pace and level they want. It is like a networking platform and we have 15 students paired up with five business mentors.

‘We did a whole induction day where they were taken around RS and if students have an interest in a particular department they will be taken around it. One of our students had two days of work experience in Finance, put it on her UCAS application and now has got five offers!

‘It is opening up avenues for work experience and support. We have been running the scheme for about six years. It has proved very successful and there are more students applying for it than ever before. That is because I keep maintaining a good relationship with RS Components and every year every single person in Years 12 and 13 gets a mock interview. There may also be apprenticeship opportunities open to our students as well in the future, so that is a pathway that some of them may wish to consider, as not everyone wants to go down the university route.

‘I’d like to thank RS Components and all the mentors for sharing their advice and expertise. It really is invaluable for our students to learn from people at the cutting edge of business, and also they can teach them real life skills and attitudes that they may not experience in a classroom setting.’

More than half of the students on the Mentoring scheme will also be visiting RS Components during half term to learn more about the many and varied current apprenticeship opportunities on offer to young people.

We always welcome contact from businesses and companies who may have apprenticeship opportunities that they want to share directly with our Sixth Formers. Please contact aallan@corby businessacademy.org with more information as are seeking to further expand opportunities for CBA Sixth Form students who wish to take the apprenticeship route.